Energy Unbound
Chapter ?
Coronation
Ari blew into the throne room of Atlantis like a hurricane. The solid coral doors grew whiter than normal and vaporized. They revealed a young woman holding a staff and practically vibrating with rage. The water up to a meter around her was boiling, bubbles rising to the ceiling and cascading outwards. Her eyes were glowing with power. It looked like a certain mortal movie director had replaced them with orange lens flares.
"AMPHITRITE!" she bellowed, sending a wave of water forward from the volume of her voice.
Poseidon, seeing how pissed off his son's friend was and knowing of her power, noped out of Atlantis so fast he left a vacuum in his wake. His son gaped at the situation unfolding in front of him and thought heavily about joining his father.
Despite the rather loud crescendo when the sea crashed back into the airless void and the waves of power bombarding the throne room from Ari, Amphitrite stood up as regally as she could.
Triton observed his mother with a steadily mounting sense of dread. Please, Mother, he silently begged, be smart about this!
"How dare you address the Queen of Atlantis that way?" his mother sneered.
Triton introduced his palms to his face, cautiously peeking through his fingers at what was about to go down. He too knew of who and what the girl was; something his father apparently forgot to notify his mother of.
"How dare I…" Ari seethed, her anger only growing. The sphere of boiling water around her grew until it touched the edges of the throne room's entryway. When it met the coral pillars, they began to melt.
Her voice was quiet now. Dangerously so. "You killed Travis Stoll," she stated.
Triton hoped beyond hope and the evidence to the contrary that was her opening statement that his mother would be at least cautious about how she proceeded, but was proven wrong by her next words.
"Stoll? Oh, that silly little son of Hermes. He was protecting that bitch Ari. He is no concern of yours. Begone from my presence before I lose my patience," she scoffed.
Triton hung his head in shame and a little disbelief at how stupid his mother was being at the moment.
Ari's eye twitched. "He was my brother," she growled.
Amphitrite stared at her for several seconds before it registered. She laughed with a demented sneer as she realized who it was. "Ari! Come to beg my forgiveness, little whore?"
Triton banged his head against the back of his throne. We are all doomed.
The coral under Ari's feet abruptly fractured and jets of fire leapt upwards, undeterred by the sea.
"Little whore," she mockingly parroted. "Is that what you think I am? Some small demigod you can push around?!"
The sphere of boiling expanded until it passed the walls. With that, everything made of coral, even the thrones, began melting. Triton scrambled backwards, pushing his seat of power across the floor with sheer will to avoid it melting. That was what finally pulled Amphitrite's head out of her ass. Anything powerful enough to overwhelm the protections on the thrones was not to be messed with.
"Who… what are you?" the Queen asked shakily, backing up towards her throne.
Ari's arm snapped up, palm facing forwards, and she gained a cruel smile. Amphitrite's movement ceased, her eyes the only exception. They were darting around like a scared fish. Triton found he was immobilized too, as were the other beings in the throne room if their looks of fear were any indication.
"Who am I?" Ari chuckled darkly, striding slowly up the middle of the throne room. She began to glow a sickly sort of orange as she moved up the steps towards the frozen Amphitrite. She stared the Queen of Atlantis straight in the eyes and spoke, voice resonating with unknown energy.
"My name, oh Queen," she spat, "is Progress. AND I AM YOUR DEATH!"
With that Ari plunged her hand into Amphitrite's chest. The goddess screamed in pain. Orange light blazed from the contact point, wisps of ethereal smoke extending everywhere. Cracks spread across the Queen's skin like broken earth. When the cracks touched each other on the opposite side, Ari pulled her close and spoke in her ear. It was just loud enough for Triton to overhear.
"Enjoy the Void, Amphitrite," Ari spat. A final scream came from the goddess' mouth before she exploded, sending shards of her form rocketing into the walls. Orange shields flared around every living thing, Triton included, protecting them from the shards.
Once the shield's orange light cleared, everyone could see the fried remains of Amphitrite's throne. Ari was still standing somehow. She cradled a glowing ball of blue light in her arms. Nobody but Triton could see the tears streaming down her face, defying the fact they were within his father's domain and shouldn't be visible in the water.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this," she said, glancing at Triton. The deathly orange light faded and her voice returned to normal. "No one was supposed to die."
Before he could respond, reality distorted around her, and she vanished with a hum.
-LB-
Ari reappeared on the steps of the Jackson's apartment, a maelstrom of emotion inside her core. Why did Travis die? Why couldn't I save him? she asked herself over and over. No matter how long she did, no answer came. Just the last moments of Travis' existence before he faded away.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he chuckled weakly. He coughed up more blood before his eyes closed, and his body went limp.
Ari held onto her dear brother with everything she had, but even her vast power could not keep his soul tethered. He slipped out of her grasp as if another Force was interfering, making sure she couldn't save him.
Tears glistening in her swollen red eyes, Ari turned her gaze upon the goddess who killed him. The regal stance of the Queen of Atlantis goaded her on, a sneer on the goddess' face.
"Why?" Ari shrieked, too emotionally compromised to attack her.
The goddess scoffed, looking sure of herself. "You disrespected my husband, and moreover, Zeus. Take this as a lesson, demigod," she said before evaporating into sea breeze.
Ari didn't know how long she kneeled there, cradling her brother's head in her arms, before her anger rose.
A lesson, huh? she had thought, eyes gaining their signature orange glow. If it's a lesson you want, it's a lesson you shall get.
With that goal in mind, she transported Travis' body to the Hermes cabin stasis chambers and herself to Atlantis, ignoring Connor's pleas to do otherwise. She had a goddess to severely injure. Amphitrite wouldn't reform for a thousand years after she was finished.
A hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her memory. She was too fargone to worry about a threat. Thankfully, it was Percy.
"Hey Ari," he greeted her, before noticing her tears. "What's wrong?"
"Travis is dead," she barely whispered, but he heard it.
"What?" he choked out. "How?"
Her growl was almost feral. "Amphitrite."
Percy blinked at that, his anger rising. His confusion also rose. "I never should have trusted her. But, more importantly, how? I thought you gave Travis the full treatment, like us?"
She sniffled and shook her head. "He was next on the list."
Percy choked on his words. "So… He's gone?"
Ari sobbed, interspersed with harsh breaths. "Maybe? He was pulled away from me when I tried to save him. Amphitrite probably gained the help of a death Force. I'm not sure which. It's possible I can find him. I'll tell you something, Percy," she said, turning to stare into his eyes. "I will tear apart every version of the Underworld that exists if it will help me find my brother again. Not even my cousins will be capable of stopping me."
Percy agreed with a nod. "I'll be right there beside you. So will Annabeth, for that matter. But what are we going to do about Amphitrite?"
She abruptly turned away from him and shuddered. "She won't be a problem anymore," Ari stated.
Percy narrowed his eyes. "What did you do?"
She held out her arm sideways to reveal the blue orb resting peacefully on her palm. His eyebrows shot up. He recognized it for what it was; an essence. Even more so, he recognized whose it was. "Where is she, Ari?"
"The Void," came her muted reply. "Well, she will be."
Percy's mouth dropped open and he tensed. "You're not reverting, are you?"
She whirled on him with hurt in her eyes. "Of course not!" she shrieked. "I just… she showed no remorse for her actions, egged me on, and by the time she realized who I was it was too late. I'd already lost it. But by no means am I reverting! My new self has limits too you know!"
Percy held his hands up in surrender. "Okay okay, jeez. Don't eat me, please," he joked.
Ari rolled her eyes and lightly slugged his shoulder. "Is Sally home?" she asked, trying to change the subject. Her eyes brightened considerably. She'd just had a marvelous idea.
He blinked in surprise. "Uh, yeah. She's watching the kids."
With a sniffle Ari stood up. "Good. Because the Sea still needs its Queen."
Percy scrounged his face up in confusion for a few seconds, but it was enough time for her to enter the apartment. It dawned on him right as he heard his mother's screams of agony.
"No wait!" he cried out, but it was too late.
A pulse of energy rippled across the world, announcing to everything with the ocean in its blood the new Queen.
"Oh, crap."
-LB-
Poseidon appeared back in his throne room, witnessing first hand the complete destruction of his wife's throne.
He looked around in panic for his wife and son, feeling a little relieved when he found the Heir of Atlantis helping to reshape the walls. They seemingly melted, just like his throne had. He raised an eyebrow at the cracked flooring, but didn't comment. He knew what Amphitrite had done now, as he heard it from a distraught Hermes while he was… err… performing a tactical retreat to Olympus.
The God of the Sea does not run away.
"Triton!" he called, moving over to his son. He was instantly concerned when the young god's face turned to him, red eyes showing his pain.
"Son, where is she?" he asked.
He barely looked up at his father. "Who? Mother, or the girl?"
"Amphitrite, son," he said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Triton sucked in a terse breath. "She killed her, Father," he barely breathed.
Poseidon couldn't believe where his mind went first, so he had to clarify. "Who killed who?"
"Ari killed Mother. The girl plunged her hand into her form, cracked it like an earthquake and then caused her to explode," he admitted with a sniff. "The damage you see around us is the result of that explosion."
Poseidon's ichor ran cold at his son's words. Ari wouldn't kill anyone, no matter how angry she was. "Are you certain?"
His eyes glowed with power and he glared at his father. "I was forced to watch, Father! She froze me on my throne and made me witness her rip Mother's form apart!" he snapped.
Poseidon's mouth dropped open. "If she did that next to you, how are you still alive?" he questioned.
Triton looked away with a scowl. "Some kind of shield protected us. I would say it was Mother's last act, but the shields individually protected everyone in the room. They were also orange. I doubt Mother had the power left to do something like that, if she ever did," he explained grudgingly.
Poseidon was confused. "So, wait. Ari walked in here, killed Amphitrite, but spared you and everyone else?" he summarized.
Triton nodded solemnly.
"But she wouldn't hurt a fly!" he protested.
Triton glared at his father. "Are you calling me a liar?" he asked, tone dangerous.
The God of the Sea remembered he had just lost his mother, and decided to take it slow. "No, of course not, my son. I just struggle to see why she would do such a thing!"
Triton smirked sadly. "We both know Mother wasn't very well liked at that camp," he stated. "Plus, I do not believe the girl came here with the intent to kill her. Injure, certainly, perhaps cause her to reform, but not murder. Mother being herself, however… well… she antagonized Ari."
Poseidon introduced his face to his palm. "Of course she did."
Triton grimaced. "Just after she killed Mother, and before she left, she told me something, Father. She said 'It wasn't supposed to be like this. No one was supposed to die'. What exactly was she talking about?"
The color drained from Poseidon's face. "Oh no. By Chaos," he cursed, summoning his trident. "Triton, I must leave immediately. Watch over Atlantis. I must attempt to convince her not to travel the path she now contemplates," he said, rushing to the doorway.
"Father?" Triton asked worriedly.
Poseidon paused and looked back at his son. "Triton, know I am proud of you. If your mother was still with us, she would be too. No matter what happens…" he trailed off, a look like he was going to his death spreading across his features. "Well, just know that you will make a great King."
Triton's eyes widened at those words. They sounded like a goodbye before battle. "Father, don't!" he cried out. "I can't lose you too!"
But Poseidon was already gone.
-LB-
Upon the flying mountain called Olympus a meeting had been called. It was not a Council meeting, but that of two brothers. After millennia of extreme rivalry it took a demigod, two computers and a video game to make them see each other as brothers again. If one saw them now, they would not believe these two had ever been anything but.
"You have to hit the shield with your basics, Zeus!" Hades admonished. He was trying desperately to keep his brother alive, since he had no health.
Zeus scowled at him. "I do not see why I cannot just fire at the enemies directly. My bolt can shear off mountaintops! It is, as mortals would say, barely a pop gun in this simulation!"
Hades growled at his screen in frustration. "It is a game, Zeus! No one character can be ultimately powerful, King of the Gods or not!"
"Tell that to Erlang Shen," grumbled said King.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Let us continue playing. My ultimate is ready. When you activate yours, mine will follow."
Hades nodded before remembering something important. "No vaporizing the mortals if we lose this time, Zeus," he said.
Zeus' pout would become a legend told for eons. "Not even a little?"
"NO!"
-LB-
Poseidon traveled to all her regular areas. She was not at Camp Half-Blood. She could have been in the Hermes cabin, but its guardian said she was not. Olympus was a bust, and neither of his brothers would help him find her. They were too involved in some game on their new mortal 'compooters'. Hermes could not help either.
Apparently he could no more find her than Poseidon when she did not wish it.
The only remaining places he could think of were Elysium or Sally's house. Just as he was about to ask Hades for a tour, however, a colossal wave of power washed across the world. It carried one message:
The new Queen of the Sea has been crowned.
Poseidon's eyes grew wide, both at the message and where it originated. It was even enough to distract his brothers from their game.
Zeus stared at him with an accusing glare. "The new Queen of the Sea, Poseidon?" he asked curtly.
Poseidon didn't understand. If she was reverting, why do this? Why, as he suspected, crown Sally Queen of the Sea?
Turning to his expectant brothers, he spoke. "I am not sure, Zeus. This is something that is internal to the Sea. I promise I will inform you once I have figured this out myself," he said.
Before Ari's coming, Zeus wouldn't have accepted that. But due to his children and a long overdue vacation in the Void, the King was now kind. He clapped his brother on the shoulder and nodded, simply bidding him to "Go."
Poseidon smiled gratefully and turned into sea breeze.
-LB-
He arrived at the Jackson apartment to quite the argument.
"Why the hell did you do that to my mom?" Percy yelled, hands planted on a table and glaring at the opposite occupant.
Ari glanced up to reply, but spotted the Sea God standing silently behind his son. She smiled sadly at him and summoned another chair between Percy and his mother, who was to the left.
"What kind of response is a chair?!" Percy growled, only to jump in surprise when Poseidon sat down.
He gulped. "Uh, hey dad," he nervously greeted.
"Lord Poseidon," Annabeth said, bowing slightly.
The three oldest of Percy and Annabeth were standing around the table too. They nodded in greeting, looking far too serious for their personalities. Something big had obviously occurred.
Sally had a fearful, if confused, look on her face, trying hard not to meet his gaze. This just provided more evidence as to what he suspected.
Poseidon decided this party needed a little humor. "Something I miss?" he joked.
All the occupants of the table save Ari looked at each other with concern. She just smirked, but the sadness was still evident in her eyes.
"Oh come on, who died?" the Sea God tried again.
Percy and Annabeth exchanged horrified looks while Sally choked on her drink. It looked suspiciously like Nectar. Annabeth was the one who asked. "You mean you don't know?"
Poseidon scowled. "Of course I know. But what's done is done. I am here to plead that the Celestial not continue down her current path. Nobody wants a reversion. If necessary, I'm prepared to sacrifice myself to repay her for my wife's actions."
Ari gained a horrified look and shook her head rapidly. Before she could speak, though, Sally gripped his arm. "Don't you dare, husband," she scolded, before she seemed to realize what she said and drew her hands to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Poseidon," she apologized, in a completely different tone.
Poseidon stared at her in absolute shock. Sally had just railed on him the exact same way his wife always did. Tone, inflection, phrase, everything. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Amphitrite?!"
"Yes?" she hesitantly answered.
Poseidon's gaze swung around to land on Ari. "Explain."
Ari actually did manage a genuine smile this time. "Amphitrite was destined for the Void, on a rather permanent basis, until I came to my senses. It was either this or kill her. The fact it was a split second decision is not the point," she rambled, but none of it was an answer.
"Progress!" Poseidon warned, crossing his arms.
She rolled her eyes half heartedly. "It dawned on me that I could do the same thing with her that I did with you. Of course, Amphitrite couldn't be the one, since it was her actions that lead to this situation. Salacia didn't want it. Something about her honor preventing it. Thus, neither of them could be the primary," she stated.
Poseidon was confused until he remembered the merging of his own two aspects. "You made Sally the primary," he guessed.
Ari leaned back and mimed firing a gun. "Got it in one. This way I don't really kill your wife and the woman you love becomes your wife. It's the best option I could come up with," she shrugged.
Percy pounded his fist on the table, glaring at the Celestial. "That doesn't give you the right to-" he was cut off from his rant by Poseidon placing a hand on his shoulder. When he turned to look at his father, the Sea God gave him a warning glare.
He gulped, nodded, and zipped it.
Poseidon sighed and turned back to Sally. She was still gazing at the table, doing a good job of looking guilty. He gently reached out, waited for her to flinch, then cupped her chin is his fingers. He applied a little upward force, drawing her eyes up to meet his.
She was absolutely terrified, confused, and concerned about so many things. Her gaze reflected a bit of Amphitrite's regal nature, much more of Salacia's calm wisdom, but the dominant parts of Sally Jackson overpowered them both. He saw pure, unending love in her eyes, no doubt powered by the combination of Salacia's and Sally's memories.
He breathed a huge sigh of relief. While the situation had not been returned to where it had been before this mess, he had not lost his wife. The Celestial hadn't reverted, and she technically didn't kill anyone… no matter how close that technicality came to truth. Moreover, something that he'd wished since meeting Percy's mother had come to pass.
Sally was his.
The Sea God's eyes grew soft and tender, before he leaned in to kiss his Queen.
-LB-
Annabeth stared at Percy's mom and Poseidon as they kissed, completely at a loss to the situation. Had Poseidon accepted her? What was going to happen now? How was Percy doing?
I'm okay, Wise Girl, came his reply across the link.
She jumped slightly, still not used to sharing her mind with another.
You sure? Your mom is essentially your dad's wife now, she informed him.
No, really, came his dry response, I never would have guessed.
Annabeth rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and lightly punched his arm.
Their three eldest children watched them with knowing smirks. The two boys exchanged bags of something that clinked like metal. Probably drachma.
They heard a happy sigh come from under the table. The two parents exchanged curious glances at how familiar it was before Percy dropped below the table in an instant.
Who else did he find except their local time lady, smiling happily at the lip lock of Poseidon and Sally through the table with a smug look on her tiny face.
Percy narrowed his eyes at her. "You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"
His daughter shrugged and giggled. "Not until the timeline stabilized, dad. You know how my ability works," she replied.
He squinted at her. "Nope. Despite being a genius thanks to your mom, still haven't got a clue," he chuckled.
Annabeth whapped the table above her youngest and spoke to her daughter. "Stop breaking your dad's brain, Chrona," she scolded.
"But it's so fun!" she whined, crossing her little arms.
Percy blinked. "I still can't understand why you act like a child when we both know you're not," he said.
The only response he got was a stuck out tongue.
Suddenly two people appeared besides Percy, their heads next to his. "What we doing under here?" Poseidon asked with glee, gaining a laugh and a shove from Sally.
Percy glanced at his father's face and scowled. "Never mind. I retract my question."
The God of the Sea stuck his own tongue out at his son.
"Grandpa!" Chrona exclaimed, running up to him and grabbing his neck.
"Woah! You've gotten so big!" Poseidon laughed, scooting out from under the table to see her properly. Percy and Sally followed, choosing to stand next to Poseidon.
Chrona playfully swatted his face once she had withdrawn a hand from her grandpa's muscled neck. Despite hanging on with one arm, she hovered in the air without any regard for gravity. "Don't you know you're not supposed to comment on a lady's size?" she admonished, acting her true mental age for a moment.
Viseria snorted. She was most always in the form of an older teen, a good illustration of what Chrona would look like when she finally decided to grow up. "Your size is the only thing to comment on, pipsqueak!"
Chrona shot a highly mature raspberry at her sister. Her brothers exchanged more bags of metal. It was ridiculous how they always bet on nearly everything.
Poseidon did a mock bow, Chrona giggling as she swung around. "My apologies, Lady Chrona," he joked, smiling at his grandchild.
Ari reminded them all she was there with a terse exhale of breath. "So… everyone's okay?" she tentatively asked.
Chrona frowned and flew off her grandfather to swat Ari on the head. "Stop messing with time, Aunt Ari. You give me a headache," she complained.
At this everyone else laughed, nodding their heads. Ari visibly relaxed, no doubt emotionally exhausted. One could almost see the relief, a weight lifted from her shoulders.
"It's going to be strange living with three sets of memories," Sally told her, "but I remember taunting you. I remember what I, er, Amphitrite did. Frankly she deserved it. The parts of me that are Salacia and Sally both agree on that," she said, nodding.
Ari let out a final breath before her cheery demeanor came back in full force. She rolled her eyes and joined Chrona in the air, swinging her body up so she was laying down staring into the little goddess' eyes upside down. "Can't make your life that easy little lady, sorry. Gotta keep you on your immortal toes!"
Chrona narrowed her eyes. "I'm going to chase you now."
Ari rolled over in a creepy imitation of the Cheshire Cat and grinned. "Maybe you'll catch me this time," she laughed, before teleporting to the other side of the room.
Chrona's little fists shook and she launched herself after her Aunt, who evaded her like the pro she was, cackling all the way. Viseria sighed, rolled her eyes, and joined the two in the air. She raced after her twin with the goal of a tickle attack.
The brothers exchanged even more bags. Ari shot them disapproving looks between moments of dodging the little white haired missile on her tail.
Percy and Annabeth took a moment to observe their crazy family. While today certainly hadn't been a good day, the result was the best possible scenario.
That is, until Percy asked the question nobody wanted to ask. One could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed.
"Who's going to tell Paul and Triton?"
-LB-
The Heir of Atlantis' look of disbelief belonged in the Guinness Book of World Records. Chrona actually snapped a picture for later surreptitiously. Her twin gave her a mock glare for that.
"Let me get this straight," he stated, "Instead of killing my mother, Ari took her and merged her into the mother of my half-brother?"
"Full brother now, actually," Percy corrected with a teasing smirk.
He got a glare in return.
Sally nodded and sighed. "I am sorry, Triton. This must be hard for you."
Triton uncrossed one arm and held two fingers close together. "Little bit."
The hurt on Sally's face was almost enough to make Ari deck him. Thankfully Percy and Annabeth held her back.
"I may not look like her, but some part of me is your mother," she spoke softly, tears welling in her eyes. "I have all her memories, some of her mannerisms," at this they both snorted, thankful for the ones Sally didn't get, "and her feelings. You are my son, just as much as Perseus," she caught herself here with a cough, "sorry, just as much as Percy is. Getting used to the urge to speak royally is quite a trip."
For a moment, when Sally said her son's name wrong, Triton had a glimpse of his mother. Against his better judgement, he began to hope.
Sally sniffed, rubbing a tear out of her eye into the sea, before composing herself and standing ramrod straight. How was she doing that? Neither he nor Poseidon managed to show any liquid underwater. Nevertheless, Triton's eyes widened, for even with a different body, he'd recognize that stance anywhere.
"Mother?" he hesitantly asked, like a child with so little hope he was on the edge of breaking.
Sally saw this, recognizing his tone from her memories. What she, or rather Amphitrite, would have done was nothing. Perhaps a pat on the back or a sort-of-supportive speech. She decided then and there that the way she dealt with her children (of which there were quite a few, she now realized) was how Sally would have.
Thus came the first true surprise Triton got in millenia.
He got a hug from his mother.
After the shock wore off, he slowly returned the embrace, not sure what to do. Sally moved her head so she could see his face and smiled.
"This is new," he commented.
Sally's face grew dark. "I never hugged you. For thousands of years you never even got near me. Not as Salacia and certainly not as Amphitrite. No more," she growled. "If Amphitrite wasn't part of me I would kill her for what she put you through. You've had a mother for millennia, Triton. It's time for you to have a mom," she beamed.
Triton blinked. "What's the difference?"
Sally just smiled kindly, a smile that lit up his entire being with love.
It was in that moment he knew: he had a mom.
The snap of a camera and a cute squeal notified him of the little girl beside his father.
"Who are you?"
"Chrona," the girl introduced herself, bowing almost hilariously low. "Goddess of Timelines." She brought her body back up and wore a grin Triton had only seen on Ari before. "I'm your niece."
Her twin raised her hand sheepishly to get his attention and waved at him. "Hi. I'm Viseria," she introduced herself. Then she stuck a thumb out at Chrona. "This little troublemaker's twin sister. And, uh, Goddess of Space too, but..." she trailed off, shrugging. Without anything else to say she just put her hands in her jean pockets.
Triton's eyes bugged out for two seconds before all the information that had been dumped on him overcame his mind and he fell into oblivion.
-LB-
"Let me get this straight," Paul Blofis asked quietly. "I kind of already knew that the Greek and Roman pantheons are real. But... Percy is the son of Poseidon, Athena is Annabeth's mother, they've both been gods for months, and now you're a goddess too?!" His disbelieving gaze was fixed on Sally with both eyebrows through the roof.
"Amphitrite was merged with me, yes," she confirmed.
Paul blinked. "After pissing off a primal force of the universe itself by killing her brother?"
Ari waved smugly at him from her comfy chair she'd summoned right in front of him as proof. "Yup!"
Paul looked between Sally and the Greek fisherman sitting with his arm around her shoulders. "And because of that you're now married to Poseidon?"
Sally nodded sadly. "I'm sorry Paul," she said.
Paul for his part took it quite well. Instead of feeling dejected or sad he was incredulous. "This guy? This guy?! The guy in the khakis and Hawaiian shirt is Poseidon, Greek God of the Sea?!"
Poseidon laughed heartily. "Yes, as difficult as it is to believe. I tend to leave my armor in Atlantis. Mortal clothing is much more comfortable."
Paul finally broke. "Well it certainly explains some things," he commented.
Sally perked up at that. "What things?"
Paul leveled an unimpressed stare into her eyes. "Last time I checked humans can't guide hurricanes through the air or reverse time, demigods or not," he deadpanned with a grin.
Everyone's eyes turned to Percy and Chrona accusingly.
"What?" Percy asked. He had the grace to look slightly ashamed.
Chrona had no such feeling. "Hey, I was doing it on purpose. I knew Paul knew what I can do and was testing how long he'd wait to call me on it." Her little face had an unrepentant grin splitting it in half.
Annabeth slumped back with a long suffering groan as Percy gave their daughter the evil eye. Chrona's grin only got wider until she received a thump to the back of her head from Viseria.
